Franchisor training and assistance (disclosure item)

A buyer meets this item in the disclosure document, where the franchisor describes what support comes with the franchise. See what a franchisor must disclose before you sign.

Where the Acts mention training

Ontario’s Arthur Wishart Act and British Columbia’s Franchises Act both name training in their definitions of a franchise. In Ontario, one limb asks whether the franchisor or its associate has the right to exercise or exercises significant control over, or has the right to provide or provides significant assistance in, the franchisee’s method of operation, including marketing techniques or training. British Columbia’s s. 1 refers to a franchisor or associate that exercises significant control over, or offers significant assistance for, that method of operation. This entry covers the Ontario disclosure item and those two definitions; check the rules where you are.

What to ask

• What training is promised, when it happens and where
• Whether it is mandatory or optional, and who pays if mandatory
• Whether a resale buyer gets it; see whether a resale requires retraining